Fuel packages



D. BRODY FUEL PACKAGES Jan. 19, 1954 Filed Oct. 2, 1952 lian llllllllllllllllllllll l Patented Jan. 19, .A1954 4:Davlilv Brody, -Clinton, Mass., assignor to 'Yan Brodie Milling Co., Inc., Clinton, Mass.,a corpo-V raton f Massachusetts vapplication october 2, 1952, .serial No. 312.823.

., Y l Claim.

The present linvention relates to an improved iuelpackage with charcoalgor thelike, asits base,

constituting a unit 'for usefon grills, broilers, etc., f

employed in outdoor cooking, andi-provided with means for kindling the' fire.

Fuel packages of thetype mentioned are old and well known but, as far as ascertained, are imperfect in several respects. In some the kindler is liablevto slip out of the package as the .latter is being handled, and in others it is very ,often extinguished .by gustsof wind or other atmospheric changes likely to occur outdoors during the picnic season.V In othersthe kindling charge :is either inemcient `due to its physical and/or chemical properties, -ori it is dangerous in yuse and its employment is therefore prohibited by iire protection laws or ordinances.

The main object of the present invention is to overcome the diculties vabove enumerated by properly anchoring the kindling charge in the fuel; by providing a kindling substance or compound the burning of which is not affected by wind` gusts; andi by making use of a kindling charge which is highly efcient in its operation andwhichrnaybe 'employed `without risk or danger. 4, A* I Another object of the invention isV to provide a kindling charge in the form-'of aheat producing elen'ient'whichv is 'substantially 'evenly distributed throughout ,the'l'ength of 'the'jfuelpackaga thereby increasing the 'efficiency `'of Jthe package.

Vvfi. Vfurther object "of Ztheiinvention is vto'fdivide the kindling charge into a plurality of units, located at substantially equidistantly spaced points throughout the length of the package and connected by a fuse, which, when ignited, causes the kindling units to take fire, one after another, and thereby start the i'lre in several spots throughout the length of the package.

With these and other objects in View, which will more fully appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the combination, arrangement and construction of parts hereinafter described, pointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, it being understood that many changes may be made in the size and proportion of the several parts and details of construction within the scope of the appended claim, without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

One of the many possible embodiments of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l isla perspective view of -theimproved fuel package;

Figure 2 is a'section takenin a Vertical plane passing through line-2-f2 .of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section takenonline-S tof Figure 2 Figure 4 is a plan View of the f'ndling element;

and

Figure 5A is a section taken on line--S of Figure 4, on a larger scale.

.'In the embodimentof'the. invention illustrated in the drawings, a suitable ;quantity.offuel I0, such as charcoal, is packaged .withina container II of paper or other suitable combustible sheet material. Thecontainershouldbeof., a type v,that

,is impermeable to-coal dust ,andstrongenough vto withstand normal handlingof the'fuelrpackage. The size of the.container.andthe quantityofthe charcoal or other selectedfuel aredeterminedby thetype and size of .thegrilloribroiler onwhich the fuel package is to'.be..used,.,the fuel charge being calculated to ,serve or..cooking an average meal. The fuel lumps are of the fsizenrdinarily employed for` fuel purposes. and .they .are packed suiciently tightinto the container II ,so as vto properly Vretain the kindling .charge `therein in a manner hereinafter tobe described. The Vshape of the fuel lpackage.. may bek yariedaccording to the requirements. In the case illustrated, the package is of substantially rectangular. coni-lguration both.longitudinally-and.transversally, the container ends `I 2 and .I r3.,]originally .the open ends of a tube holding the fuel charge and the kindler, being formed by flattening said open ends, as shown. at I4 and I5, respectively, thus closing the container. Any suitable glue or adhesive material may be applied to the inner surfaces of the liattened container sections for sealing the container, or the container may be closed in any other desired manner with or without the ernployment of a glue or adhesive. Y

The kindler is embedded in the fuel charge and comprises a strip IB of combustible material, such as cellophane In the case illustrated and as shown in detail in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, the strip consists of two layers I'I and I8, obtained, for instance, by folding the strip material back upon itself along its longitudinal center line and then uniting the free edges I9 of the material in any suitable manner, for instance, by crimping, as shown at 20, whereby the strip material forms a flat tube. Within this tube are located, preferably, equidistantly spaced blocks 2l of kindling material, said blocks being, in the case illustrated, in the form of disks, although this is not essential. The length of the block enclosing tube corresponds substantially to that of the body of the fuel package, and the kindling blocks are held in position within the tube either by a suitable adhesive applied transversally to the inner faces of the layers I'I and I8 of the tube on both sides of each block or by transverse crimps or heat seals 22, as shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

As the blocks are fixed in position in the tube,

either by means of an adhesive or otherwise, they form projections on the tube, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 5 of the drawings, so that, when the kindling charge is inserted into the fuel package, the fuel lumps, bearing against these. projections, anchor the kindler and prevent movement thereof' in all directions in the fuel package.

Throughout the length of the` kindlerV tube runs, in contact with the several kindling blocks, a fuse 23, preferably a cord impregnated with an inammable compound, said cord extending exteriorly of the container II at its end I2 and beyond the flattened end portion I4 thereof, as shown at 24.

As clearly appears from Fig. 2 of the drawings, the kindling material is disposed a substantial distance below the top of the charcoal charge of the fuel package, in order to obtain proper anchoring pressure of the charcoal charge on the kindling charge. Obviously, the distance of the kindling charge below the top of the charcoal charge may be varied according to the requirements, it being obvious that the kindling charge would operate wherever it is placed in the pack age.

The kindling blocks may be made of any suitable combustible material. However, it is preferred to employ a material which, when ignited, will produce a substantial amount of heat over an extended period of time, thereby adding to the heat yield of the charcoal charge. Extended experiments have proved trioxane to be best suited for the improved fuel package forming the subject matter ofthe present application. Trioxane is adapted to be readily compressed into blocks of any desired configuration; it is readily ignitable; it remains solid while burning; it burns with a steady flame; gusts of wind do not affect its flame; and it produces a substantial amount of heat.

A preferred way of obtaining the improved fuel package is to place the sheet of which the container I I is to be formed over a mold of suitable 4, configuration, place the charcoal charge and the embedded kindling charge onto said sheet within the mold, fold the longitudinal edge portions 25 of the sheet over the fuel charge and over one another, securing the said edge portions in place so as to confine the fuel and kindling charges in the sheet. which at this stage of packaging forms a tubular body that is open at both of its ends. These tube ends are then flattened out, the free end portion of the fuse 23 being passed between and beyond the layers of the container material at the container end section I4, after which both attened portions of the container ends are suitably sealed.

In using the improved package, it is only necessary to applyA a lighted match to the exposed end of the fuse 23, preferably after having placed the package on the grate or plate on which the fire is to be built. The ame of the burning fuse travels along the entire length of the fuel package, igniting the kindling blocks 2l, one after another, the burning blocks, in turn, bringing the fuel charge into uniform state of combustion within a short time.

What I claim is: Y

A self-kindling fuel unit comprising a closed container of combustible material, a charge of charcoal therein, and a kindling charge embedded in said charcoal charge, said kindling charge comprising a folded strip of combustible sheet material extending longitudinally through the entire length of said charcoal charge, a plurality of spaced blocks-of trioxane fixed in position between the layers of said folded strip, said blocks forming projections on said strip whereby said kndlng charge is anchored in place by some of the elements of said charcoal charge. and a fuse extending longitudinally through said folded strip and held in contact with said blocks by the layers of said strip, the free end of said fuse being exposed exteriorly of said container.

DAVID BRODY.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 362,147 Corwin May 3, 1887 2,107,054 Haymond Feb. 1, 1938 2,548,379 Lammersen Apr. 10, 1951 2,604,389 Berdick et al.` July 22, 1952 

